A teenager had recently been diagnosed with diabetes and, as the UCLA forward recalls, was understandably “freaking out.” Swain calmed her down, and still keeps in touch. After all, she knew exactly what the girl was feeling. For the last quarter of her life, she’s been struggling with the same disease.

As head coach Cori Close guides the UCLA women’s basketball team (24-8) back to the NCAA Tournament this year as a No. 3 seed, Swain has become a uniquely inspiring figure ‑ for more reason than one. One of just three seniors on the team, Swain signed with UCLA back in November 2010, part of Nikki Caldwell’s top-five recruiting class. Five months later, however, Caldwell left for LSU. When Close arrived, she gave all the recruits an out.

Nearly everyone took it: Sheila Boykin followed Caldwell to Baton Rouge; Justine Hartman went to Cal; Moriah Faulk spent a year with the Bruins, then transferred to Fresno State. Swain was different.

“She is so passionate about UCLA,” Close says. “Not just about a coaching staff or a basketball program. She just thinks UCLA is like the coolest play on earth. That has such power. Nowadays, kids don’t commit to school like that.”

Looking back, the 6-foot-3 forward is more than happy with her decision — even if her career hasn’t unfolded the way she’d imagined.

Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 16 years old, Swain has learned how to properly manage her blood sugar, checking it as many as eight times per day. Despite her sweet tooth, she abstains from ice cream and Swedish Fish, a childhood favorite. She’s developed a regular meal rotation, relying on whole grains, broccoli, salmon, and grilled chicken. Timing is important too: If she has an 8 a.m. workout, she needs to wake up four hours earlier to eat — then nap again for another couple of hours.

As a freshman, however, she wasn’t as disciplined, which led to struggles on the court.

“I would be slow,” Swain says. “My thinking would be slower. I wouldn’t be quick, explosive. I would get tired easily.”

Once ranked the No. 25 recruit in the country, she averaged 13.9 minutes in 27 games. The team finished 14-16, a transition year after back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament. The next season, Swain more than doubled her blocks total, finishing second on the team with 21 in a reserve role.

But heading into her junior year instead of preparing for another leap forward, Swain tore her ACL. She missed the entire 2013-14 season, spending five to six hours a day rehabilitating her knee instead of practicing with her teammates. The time off, however, forced her to reflect on her off-court life as well.

“She had to think, ‘Who do I really want to be?’” Close says. “‘And what am I willing to work to become?’”

Close saw the switch flip for Swain, saw her blossom into a “caretaker” for the team. Once reticent about her diabetes, Swain started realizing the potential she had to inspire others. At a student-athlete scholarship dinner, she decided to speak out about her disease. Since then, she’s received messages from other diabetics — athletes and non-athletes alike. Last summer, she got in touch with a 9-year-old girl in Washington, D.C. That girl’s bedroom is now filled with UCLA memorabilia.

When her basketball career is done, Swain says she hopes to work with the American Diabetes Association. For now, however, she has a season to play out. After missing five games with a knee injury, Swain’s availability against No. 14-seed Hawaii (21-10) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Pauley Pavilion remains uncertain. While her numbers aren’t eyepopping — 6.6 points, 6.9 rebounds — Close says she is UCLA’s best post defender, one whose skills can be underappreciated even as a starter.

“It’s her IQ applied in all the little areas,” says the coach. “The angle she sets on screens. How to take away rebounding triangles. How to take away the other team’s strengths. How to be a great hedge defender on pick-and-roll situations.

“She’s really smart about the game of basketball. She’s now able to apply her physical abilities in the context of being a very thoughtful basketball player.”

Jack Wang covers the Chargers, the latest NFL team to relocate to Los Angeles. He previously covered the Rams, and also spent four years on the UCLA beat, a strange period in which the Bruins' football program often outpaced their basketball team. He is a proud graduate of UC Berkeley, where he spent most of his time in The Daily Californian offices in Eshleman Hall — a building that did not become earthquake-safe until after his time on campus.

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